I wish I could feel bad about it...

We are shopping for a new vehichle...ours is in need of replacement after its wonderful service over the past six years or so...

The car in question was chosen by me and for me; however my husband currently drives it and I drive the Ford Taurus mommy-wagon we bought while I was pregnant. It was easier for me to get in and out of and my hubby fell in love with my Mountaineer. I drove it on occaision early on---I missed its power, sunroof and stereo---but, my hubby trashes cars pretty badly so now I can hardly stand to be in the thing. Poor car.

What are we planning to replace the 6 liter Mountaineer with? A Lincoln Aviator with an 8 liter engine....YIKES many will say...what of gas, the environment, etc. ?

Well, here are the reasons I do not feel bad.

1. We need a car that can haul our three snowmobiles -- and the new hybrid SUV's are outrageously expensive.
2. We are buying a used vehicle anyway...we both had new before and prefer a car with a few miles on it now.
3. I work at home, the hubby works 6 miles from here! Even with a gas-pig we do less damage on the environment than some people I know---my SIL drive 80 miles ONE WAY each day. (AND we rarely fly anywhere for vacation.)
4. I buy organic as much as I can.
5. We shop for local food whenever possible, even BEER---love that Finnegan's!
6. I clean with vinegar and water, or baking soda, etc. when I can.
7. We have replaced every bulb possible with energy efficient---trouble is that some of the energy efficient bulbs can not be used on dimmer switches. Get on THAT GE, Phillips, and Sylvania!
8. I wash almost everything in cold water and dry as little as possible.
9. We donate money to environmental causes whenever we can.
10. I vote for environmental candidates whenever possible too.

So there! We do what we can and we are not terrorists for wanting an affordable car that does what we need it to do. When the car companies start making affordable cars that have great mileage, I will buy one.

Did I rant too much?